Video is everywhere. Brands utilize the medium to create a deeper emotional connection with audiences through engaging narratives, visuals, and sound. If you want to tell your brand story and captivate consumer attention, video is the way to go.
So, you’ve got the concept. You’ve written the script. Now, how do you translate it to the screen? First, grab a cup of coffee. Second, find the right director.
The Thomas Collective looks for innovative, experienced, collaborative directors to help us tell authentic brand stories. Enter Erick Fix: Commercial Director and Head of Production at Robotic Raptor. We interviewed our long-term creative partner to learn about how he brings an idea to life.
Q: How long have you been a director? Why did you want to become a director?
EF: I’ve been a commercial director for about 14 years, and I’ve always loved creative problem-solving. Each piece of content has its own parameters, goals, and boundaries. As a director, you get to figure out how to tell the brand’s story effectively with the tools available. My job is to help bring ideas from concept to reality.
Q: When a brand/agency comes to you with a brief, what’s the first thing you do?
EF: When I first read a brief, I want to digest all the information until I can see the spot in my head. Then, I describe what I’m visualizing in a treatment so others can get on board with the vision.
When you’re just getting started, the perception tends to be that the director is simply the one who is in charge. They get to play and shape the visuals and narrative of whatever they’re working on. This is true, but you also have to learn to communicate your vision clearly. From the client and agency partners to the crew and talent, you want everyone involved to feel confident that you’ve got a cohesive plan and the ability to make the right decisions on the fly as the project barrels forward.
Q: Take us through the process of bringing an idea to life.
EF: Once we’ve aligned on a creative approach with the agency and brand, we start breaking the production down into pieces: locations, elements, talent, and crew. We usually tackle the shoot's logistics first, like location and scene order.
From there the director is the first filter of all decisions made. I make a case for our recommendations on location, casting, shot list, art direction, etc. There are always compromises, and it’s important to remember that as a director, you’ve been hired to execute the project in a way that the brand team feels great about.
I must adapt at every stage. Things move quickly, and a smooth process is just as important as a great final product.
Q: What about a brand’s story is most compelling to bring on screen?
EF: Helping shape or reinvent the brand voice is always fun. Finding ways to give the brand itself a personality and point of view in the tone of a piece is the most delicate but exciting part of the process.
Q: How do you balance the collaboration between you, an agency, and a client?
EF: Usually, I am coming into the process when the agency and client already have an established relationship. They’ve already developed the creative and are moving into the production phase. They’ll have ideas, and it’s my job to find ways to incorporate each idea into the project or make a case for an alternative. I want to keep the excitement high without going down roads that will be problematic to execute.
Once we’re on set, I make sure to involve the agency and client in all major decisions that we haven’t already discussed in pre-production while making a case for my recommendation. It is a true collaboration, where we are all on the hook to make something successful, so I really want to make sure there is buy-in from the agency and client at every step along the way.
Q: What’s the most rewarding part of bringing a story to life? And the most challenging part?
EF: The most rewarding part is seeing the final product. I’ve described it as completing a thought. You spend the entire length of the project imagining it in your head, and then getting to see it actualized makes you feel like you’ve answered the question, “What can this be?”
The biggest challenge, and the part I might love the most, is solving complex problems in real time. We try to keep surprises to a minimum, but when they happen, we’re burning daylight and must make sure we have a full story in the can.
Q: Where do you see the future of visual storytelling going?
EF: My hope is that there will be a move back toward prioritizing a higher quality brand voice on social media and that brands will be willing to take more significant swings to engage and entertain while getting their value prop across. That can come through more branded content, which has always seemed like the most authentic and honest form of advertising, or just consolidating the advertising dollars into cohesive campaigns across all platforms. The need for a lot of content to fill post calendars is there, but they can feel disconnected from the overall brand voice. I’d love to see more strong creative choices get approved, not just oddball concepts but ideas that add up to something bigger. We’ll see!
From pre-production planning to navigating on-set challenges, a director’s vision shapes every step of the creative process. Thank you, Erick, for sitting down with us and sharing how you and your team transform an idea into lights, camera, and action.
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